Also included on his Graceland tour, Paul Simon, as we discussed in class, collaborated with many African artists on his Graceland album. In this performance, we get to hear Simon and singer Miriam Makeba who is a very well known African singer. In this, we get to hear the beautiful collaboration of melodies between the two as well as the soft acoustic guitars and percussion behind their voices. We also get to hear Makeba doing call and response with Simon, while Simon sings in English and Makeba sings in a South African language, (though I could not find if it was Zulu definitively or not), and adds another layer of depth to the song.
The song in general is very nostalgic and reflective as it portrays the African landscape as well as some feelings of melancholy in the upbeat melodies. It very much draws from the African landscape, which is obviously hinted at in the title, as well as relationships between people and their relationship with each other, the beauty of the land, and diversity.
Overall, we hear a masterpiece of a song from the album with a variety of instrumentation, singing styles and timber, as well as intricate lyrics in several languages.
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